A woman was found dead Wednesday afternoon in a mobile home that was on fire on South Main Street in Belen.
Clara Garcia | News-Bulletin photo
BELEN–A woman was found dead in a burning mobile home Wednesday afternoon in Belen.
Belen Assistant Fire Chief Charles Cox said firefighters were dispatched for smoke coming from a single-wide mobile home at the Chavez Trailer Park, 1115 S. Main Street in Belen, just before 3 p.m. Wednesday.
“When firefighters responded to the scene at spot No. 13, there was heavy smoke coming from the trailer,” Cox said. “Crews advanced and made entry into the structure. They did a primary search and found a victim in the back room.”
Cox said firefighters removed the woman from the mobile home and tried life-saving measures to no avail.
Belen Deputy Police Chief Jose Natividad said officers were also called to the scene to assist firefighters, and when he arrived on scene, the woman had already been removed from the home.
“We don’t know the cause of the fire yet; all we do know is we have a woman in her mid 40s, who hasn’t been positively identified yet, who is deceased,” Natividad said. “We have an idea who she is, but identification is still pending.”
Both Cox and Natividad said the state fire marshal’s office was on the way to lead the investigation.
“We will do a side-by-side investigation with them,” Natividad said. “It’s way too early to say if it’s a suspicious death … and we don’t know how the fire started yet.”
Clara Garcia is the editor and publisher of the Valencia County News-Bulletin.
She is a native of the city of Belen, beginning her journalism career at the News-Bulletin in 1998 as the crime and courts reporter. During her time at the paper, Clara has won numerous awards for her writing, photography and typography and design both from the National Newspaper Association and the New Mexico Press Association.
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April 18, 2024
